2.27.2011

Ok...so I'm way late on this. I have a good reason and you know that it has to do with being completely blessed with booming business! A quick thank you to all of you who have placed an order! It means a bunch to me and I'm so excited to see my hats everywhere...it's a great feeling.

Now on to the spring cleaning...Your house is clean...and you love love love that feeling (I know I do). Spring cleaning (please don't wait until spring...I do it at least 3 times a year. Makes it WAY easier and much faster each time instead of letting a years worth of junk pile up into nonsense!) is an awesome way to purge unnecessary clutter and really just keep your area clean and stress free. Now that the hard work is done...the best thing to do is to MAINTAIN your clean home. Instead of letting pile up create a daily chore list. I know it sounds like you're going back in time to when you were a kid, but each room has a specific list of things to do daily to keep the house clean.

Again start in a smaller room...the faster it gets done the happier you'll be. It'll seem like it's going by fast. I start daily in the bathroom. After I get ready for the day I start with a counter wipe, mirror clean and I do a quick clean of the toilet (having 4 boys in the house this is a must...) I've compiled a list to help you out....

Bathroom - The one cloth clean

Start with the mirror. Try an all purpose cleaner like Greenworks or Windex (I love windex antibacterial lemon cleaner) or use your normal window cleaner.

Wipe down the sink. Then move onto the sink. Put away all the stuff...make up, toothbruses, toothpaste, (my kids love to leave their mouthwash on the counter), and any other paraphernalia left out. Spray you sink (again multi purpose cleaners are AMAZING!) Same rag wipe it down!

Wipe down the toilet. Obviously this is the LAST thing you do with this cloth. Wipe down the seat (our new seat has little locks on the fastener so you turn them and the entire lid pops off...LOVE this feature...makes thorough cleaning that much easier.) Wipe the outside of the bowl and the floor around it. Into the dirty clothes goes the rag!

Wash the dishes and wipe down the sink. Load the dishes into the dishwasher or wash them up by hand. Either way when dishes are clean the kitchen already looks better. Wipe down the spatters and the spills off the counter around the sink and wipe out the sink when done.

Wipe down the counters and stove. Take your dishcloth and do a good wipe down of all your counter space and the stove top. Keeps everything looking fresh. Also gives you time to throw away the piles of junk and papers that have been piling up on the counters. Wipe down the front of the stove, dishwasher & fridge.

Sweep & Mop. Now I sweep and mop my floors daily. Keeps the place looking and smelling fresh. You don't need to do a full mop daily if it doesn't work for you...but wipe up problem areas on the floor with your cloth.

Hang up or fold dish towels. Nothing is worse than sour towels. I don't normally use my towels for more than a day, but during that day they're folded neatly and hang over the counter. Giving ample drying time and keeping them handy.

Living Room - The need clean space

Clean up major clutter. Put away video games, movies, toys and anything else that may be lurking about...toss out trash and papers that may have accumulated since the kids are home from school with homework :).

Wipe down your tables. Get your cleaner and a cloth and wipe down all the tops and sides of your tables and cabinets in your living room.

Straighten the coffee table and end tables. End tables are small so they don't normally collect anything...but your coffee table should have it's books, remotes, coasters and so on fixed into a nicely organized space. I hate stuff sitting out, so everything has it's place.

Sweep and mop the floors. Again sweeping daily (if you have wood floors) or vacuuming daily keeps the floors looking clean and a clean floor helps keep the house look clean. Vacuum any rugs you may have.

Dining Room - The clutter collector

Clean off your dining room table. This is where we collect a ton of stuff. Go through all the papers and miscellaneous stuff and throw away or put away everything. Wipe the table down.

Sweep & mop. I live by this :)

Bedroom - The last thought of place

Make your bed. Best thing you can do for a room to look clean.

Fold up any clean clothes and put away jewelry. That's pretty self explanatory. lol Really just keeping things picked up and put away makes every place organized and clean.

Vacuum. Clean floors...definitely the road to a clean house.

Laundry - a daily dose of clean clothes is the way to keep ahead.

Do a load or two a day. Start to finish laundry is the best way. I mean washing, drying, folding and putting away is the perfect way to stay on top of the massive piling of clothes that can occur. I know I hate laundry...

So now you're done with your daily chores and you can get on with the rest of your life :) Have a cup of tea and play a little.

Ok I'm off to fill some orders & do my daily chores, but I felt like this was necessary to finish our list! Have a great and happy Sunday! And I'll be back soon! I definitely need to do some updating! :) See you all around and if you can't get enough of Love, Hadleigh...head on over to facebook and like us:

2.20.2011

Another week done and now we're working on the next one. It's amazing how fast a week goes by...I remember when I used to think time just never seemed to end and it just dragged by. Little did I know...that 4 kids later I'd never understand why time would just slip right by without so much as a pause!

So today we aren't going to waste on cleaning...today we're going to pause for some little beauties...like this...

﻿Yeah I love Ruffles! :) And sure the quilt doesn't have ruffles...but I'm in love with all of Heidi's quilts...and it doesn't hurt that she is absolutely awesome! So Enjoy the prettier things in life today...take the day off from scrubbing everything spotless and just relax...have a cup of hot cocoa and cuddle up and watch a movie...

2.17.2011

You've got your list, you've got your supplies and you've been a cleanin' queen! Now you've reached bedrooms. I like to break it down to decide whether or not I've got enough time in one day to get the bedrooms done same day...and you MUST remember I have 2 bedrooms, they're huge, but still only 2. If you plan on tackling more than 2 bedrooms...make sure you've got it broken up into a timespan that doesn't overwork you so you're stressed or burnt out. You'll never want to finish if you get burnt out. After so much cleaning and organizing....you'll over do it and then you'll slack off and either not finish or you won't come back to it until you've got a ton to do again. However that's another post for Maintenance...

Back to the bedrooms. I start in the kids room. It's easiest considering Hadleigh is napping during this time...or really it's just better to get this finished. More people go in there than into my room...so let's get started....

First thing I like to do is bust out new Sterilite containers. I always buy new containers, about once a year. Mainly because the boys are rough on these. Plus at 3 - 5 bucks a tub...it's easier to just get new ones. In the end I'm going to have a better storage solution, but this is low cost for us right now. I like to go one tub at a time. I re-write the label on the new tub (this can be done many ways and actually will be a tutorial soon). Now I go through the old tub...deciding what stays and what goes. Re-organizing always helps...especially because the kids always are getting new toys and pushing old outdated toys out of the limelight (Sorry toys...I know you all have secret lives) Now we have 5 tubs under Brien's lifted bed...one for any type of car, one for pretend play, one for miscellaneous toys, one for legos *this is the biggest bucket under the bed *, and then one solely for outdoor toys. Those are all the big boys toys...Brien has the closet floor. There are 2 sterilite tubs, a basket & 2 tubs of legos. His box consists of Buzz Lightyear and Woody figures, pretend play items and dinosaurs. These toys are then organized properly and weeded out. The next tub is stuffed animals...ALWAYS reduce stuffed animals. They take up space and really there's no reason for a million of them! Once the closet floor is organized...we move to clothing...

Clothes...are so easy to take care of. We go through Nathanael's first...if it doesn't fit it goes into a pile. The remainder is left hanging in the closet (all of his shirts and hoodies are hung...yes, even t-shirts) Then we get to Thomas' side. We find what finds and doesn't and sort them. Then we look through Nathanael's pile and see if he wants anything out of there...if not Nathanael's left over's pile gets put into a big bag. I go through and pick out some t-shirts and button ups for Brien and then Tommy's left over's get hoisted in the the same bag. We continue through Brien's closet space (he has the small armoire closet) his stuff doesn't get saved unless it's in tip top shape and then it's given to either a friend or my sister in-law who is saving some of my kids awesomeness in case she has a boy. Then we move onto jeans. If they don't fit and are in good shape...they go into the bag. If they suck...they get thrown out. We don't "hand-me-down" jeans...same with shoes. Once this is finished...we move onto changing the sheets, dusting the blinds (done once a month anyway) and vacuuming ...this room is finished!

My room....oh god where do we start hahaha...I'm so kidding....actually we go through my closet...reorganizing the clothes from where I've purged. My closet is organized by items and then colors. We have jeans, shorts, skirts, beach dresses, t-shirts, tanks, dressy dresses, sweaters and hoodies. And then everything is organized in it's category by color....and yes when I mean the color blue it goes from navy to turquoise...not all mixed together. I then move onto changing the sheets, purging Hadleigh's clothing that's she's grown out of.....this is done whenever she grows...since she's currently now in 3-6 months we have only done this once. This all takes care of the bed and my changing room. The rest of the room is simply. I clean the piano, vacuum the floor and dust. Studley's clothes I don't mess with, mostly because I make him go through his own clothes once in a while...again because I buy him new stuff :). Yeah you heard it from me...if it weren't for me & Studley's mom....Studley would never buy new clothes.

And then tada...bedrooms complete. Now this is simple for me because I always purge clutter. If it won't benefit me to keep it in the next year or so then I toss it. I am in LOVE with throwing stuff out or donating...there is no need to continue to accumulate JUNK!

Purging is good for the soul.

Tips:

Cleaning is best done to a soundtrack...put on your favorite jams and clean away.

Have the kids help (ONLY if you can handle the insanity that will ensue!)

Have a trash basket. Get an extra laundry basket and put all trash into that. Then tote it from room to room.

Don't throw stuff away that can be donated...if you are willing to take it. DON'T have donation stuff laying around cluttering up for days and weeks...

If you don't have the storage space...don't keep it.

KEEP YOUR STORAGE SPACE CLEAN AND ORGANIZED. It's one thing to have a storage space...it's another thing not to know what's in it and where! You ask me where my stuff is in my storage closet I know exactly what box and where that box is. This is very important for small spaces and it will really help you with bigger ones! The bigger you space the more junk you'll accumulate!

If you do have the storage space...pro and con the reasons for keeping...be honest with yourself about it. Less junk means a cleaner looking space.

For today...that should be enough! :) I don't want you to get burnt out just reading! Now go get your vacuum and get to work!!

BedroomsðOrganize items- miscellaneous, unused or unusable items in a basketðPick up clothesðOrganize dressers and/or table topsðFlip and rotate mattress (Do this once a month)ðChange linens and fluff pillowsðWash curtains and blindsðDust windows/walls/ceilingsðDust fanðDust furnitureðDust baseboardsðVacuum lamp shades (Do this weekly when vacuuming!)ðFloor under and behind bedðVacuum floor (I do this daily to make sure the floors are looking good!)ðWash all curtains

Just an FYI...I still stand by not doing this all in one day unless you have the time. It can be completely stressful to try and tackle the whole job while you have a life happening around you. Your house should be clean to make your life happy...not stressful.

Ok so today we're gonna work on the living room, dining room & home office...our's consists of a desk in the living room haha...

Now the first thing to completely rid yourself of paper mess in your office area...put everything ONLINE! I have copies of very little in paper form. All receipts & reports...all this can be put on your computer. I have all of our files nicely organized and put on an external hard drive. This eliminates paper waste as well as all the clutter. Makes cleaning your files easy! I then go through and make sure everything is where it goes and organized...Once that's done...discard all junk. You may save stuff from your kids at school (I do!) but you have to know where to limit it. You want to remember stuff, but you don't need everything...I generally end up getting rid of a bunch while going through the desk. I dust and organize the books, straighten everything to leave clean, organized drawers & a clean, organized desk without the clutter...I hate having stuff sitting on top of the desk.

As far as the dining room goes...scrub the germs. make sure there aren't papers laying around and I go through and organize my china hutch...making sure that the kids have limited putting junk everywhere. (Which they do!)

The living room...still super easy...make sure the toys are gone...they belong in bedrooms not in my living room! Hadleigh's bouncer and stuff gets a good scrub daily. I organize the dvds, wii games, dsi games, the playstation games (can you tell I have men in my house?) The coffee table gets a good scrub and I make sure people haven't shoved random stuff in my drawers! I also vacuum my couches every other day...to minimize junk behind the cushions and just dirt...spring cleaning entails...cleaning the cushions & covers though...

EVERYTHING gets dusted, swept and mopped. I love a good clean floor...doesn't stay clean long with four kids, but at least it gets done! I put everything that I'm not sure I wanna keep or get rid of and stuff that goes into another room in a basket. At the end of each day...I throw away the trash, bag the stuff for the Salvation Army & then put away everything else! It helps not having to run back and forth!

If you haven't finished laundry...do that...obviously I'm back in the kitchen making sure dishes are done & the counters are clean...and the bathrooms get a once over (but that's all relatively quick!!)

You should now be able to relax for the rest of the day! :) Or tackle your next room...that's the beauty of cleaning.....it's all so personalized on how you want to do it!

2.15.2011

Hello...yes I'm back! Ugh I feel terrible...these little spurts...one blog here one blog there...I act as if I have a life or something. Soon...very soon...I should be able to get it together I believe. I feel like I keep saying that.

Today brings me to spring cleaning. Mostly because it's sunny...yesterday was 70 degrees out. Even though today it's not supposed to be over 45 Spring is on it's way. I think this will get split into 3 blogs. It'll be easier than one solid huge long post! :)

Here's the thing about spring cleaning. I hate it. So instead of waiting once a year to go through and throw stuff away or get rid of it or donate it...I do it many times throughout the year. I hate clutter. But it's a simple thing to handle once you decide to do it. I'm going to give you my tips and you can do with them what you want. I'll also give you some tips to help keep the clutter down during your spring cleaning times. Personally I strive for at least 4 times a year of purging. This also helps when you have kids...mainly because they're constantly getting new stuff...and so we cycle through everything to make sure everything is either getting played with or someone less fortunate is able to have something to play with.

First. Pick a room. Not the biggest...not the messiest...not the most cluttered. You don't want to get bogged down. I like to start in the kitchen. It's the easiest to clean and the fastest. Basically I make sure the dishes, stove top and oven are spotless and dishes are put away. Once that's finished I tackle the tupperware. This is one of those things that irritates me beyond belief. Mostly because I mean hello....no one puts it away properly. This spring I'll be cycling out the excess bottles since Hadleigh will soon be starting on a sippy cup. I still need a few because she still is breastfeeding and still needs a bottle...she's only going on 6 months. Tupperware is the hardest to keep straight. People just don't put it away the same. On top of that every house hold is plagued by the Tupperware Monster who comes and eats pieces leaving a rogue piece somewhere. So I organize and make sure everything is matching. If it's not. Trash. I clean out the fridge of all the leftovers I know we aren't going to finish and organize the cabinets (another place that no one does like me...it ends up messy!) Once that's done, I sweep and mop. The kitchen is done!

During the spring cleaning if you are behind on laundry...I normally do a few loads. I strive for 2 loads of laundry a day start to finish. However once you're all caught up it's hard to have full loads. I however don't mind small loads. It keeps down the hassle. When doing laundry as soon as it's done in the dryer I fold it and stack it on the dryer while it's drying the next load. Once the load is folded or hung everything gets put away. It's the easiest way to keep up with laundry. Laundry makes clutter. However I do have to say I skip days. I regret it the next day...or the next day. But sometimes you just want to be lazy.

Now that your kitchen is done...move to the bathroom. It's one place that's easy to accumulate junk. I go through my under sink area. Reorganize and get rid of random stuff that gets shoved under there! Trash goes out and the sink, toilet, tub, walls & floor all get scrubbed! It's one of the easier rooms to get done. Mostly because I scrub the tub once a week. The toilet, sink & floor are all done daily (something you MUST do with a house full of little men!). This room shouldn't take you long at all!!!

Alrighty...you've now completed at least 2 rooms...(might take you a bit longer when you've got a ton of bathrooms...but generally they're a quick clean!

2.08.2011

Good Evening all!!! I know I know...my consistency is a little off, however my customers will appreciate me not being on here and getting their hats done...verses me being on here and not getting them done faster!

On a good note...business is great! Thank you all who've ordered! It really means a lot to me for all of the support...plus I just love doing this. I really love seeing my hats on all you & yours! Oh and WOOHOO my business cards came in today. As soon as I can...I'll post them up here! Cuz I LOVE them!

Now on to the awesome stuff. I ran across this wonderful Etsy shop during only what seems to be a window shopping session. Hadleigh can't wear bows yet unless they're on headbands and currently all her headbands are getting too tight since her sweet head is gettin' big! Needless to say...I ran across this shop. I LOVE IT!

Plus the shop owner, Amy, is super sweet! She answered my questions plus on top of it...she helped me find something I'm looking for that she uses...so being helpful...always a plus. I love to find other people that are willing to help! Needless to say...She's having a sale in her shop today and today only...15% off everything...

So GO! Check her out! And put some gorgeous little bows and barrettes on your sweet girls heads!! You'll be ever so happy you did! :)

I'm out of here for the evening...work is calling my name...Have a great night!

2.03.2011

Making time sounds so much easier than done....either way last night between taking the kids to rangers, filling orders and spending my time with my super awesome brother & s.i.l good ol' me didn't get around to making my craft. Yes...I disappoint even myself! haha

Ooooh and I'm over it. What I'm gonna do for you is this....post the tutorial, because it's not mine. So I'm gonna link it up and let you guys go crazy.

I love the The Tidy Nest. When I can get over there and pay attention to actually reading blogs...I check this one first. Definitely one of my favorites. Now this tutorial was actually sent to me by my fabulous friend Sophie. I saw it and say yes I'm going to make this. I'm also in love with Mod-Podge at the moment and so this tutorial.

Here's the deal. I link the tutorial. You go out and get the stuff & make them...because let me tell you...the materials cost me less than $3...of course I already had scrap book paper & mod-podge, but if you done my coaster tutorial...you'll already have mod-podge anyway...If you make this craft PLEASE post pictures! I love seeing fan photos...so PLEASE PLEASE PLEASE comment with a photo!

2.02.2011

So apparently this past week proved harder to get through than I thought. With Studley and the kids home for a few days and then all the kids home and Studley pushing snow all day...well yeah you guessed it..I've been super busy. Pile that on top of...oh about a million orders...and it makes for a busy day FAR away from a computer! :) However I'm not complaining...just explaining!

Now...I just wanted to let you all know I wasn't dead! I'm gonna be doing a craft project this evening...SO...oh yes I'll be posting it..and actually in a few days as soon as I can get it together I have a glorious little tutorial that you all are going to love, because yes this idea has me bubbling inside! I'm so excited!

Yesterday was amazing though...aside from finishing like 3 orders...I went to Ikea and FINALLY bought the new couch covers I've been drooling over for what seems like forever!!! As soon as the wrinkles fall out I'll definitely post some pictures! I'm almost ready for our housewarming party!!! I never thought that silly little couch covers would make me so excited...apparently I'm a pretty simple girl!

I've decided once I get a handle on my orders to add a few new hats to the line up! And some cute little accessories...the accessories I'm super excited about! A sweetheart name Jillian Krause gave me some super adorable ideas and told me that I definitely need to get into it because they're all the rage right now with her daughter...so as soon as I make them up you all will be the first to know!! :) Beyond excited that's all I've gotta say!

So plan on coming back later for a cute little project! And check out the products page because as soon as I'm done here I'm gonna go put up the Hats that I have out currently! If you'd like to place an order...visit my contact page or go here: Love, Hadleigh Designs or here Friends of Love, Hadleigh Designs